To think £100 a month should be enough for clothes?

[SabineUndine]

I don't have to wear formal suits for work, so I'm always in smart casual, with emphasis on the casual. But £100 doesn't seem to go that far. What do you spend (inc shoes)?

I get fab, designer, sometimes still with tags, clothes from certain good quality charity shops! I spend money on decent shoes and underwear. I'd like to think I spend half that at most on clothes a year.

But the standard of charity shops depends on where you live. I buy charity shop / vintage / dress agency whenever I can, partly because I enjoy the hunt and partly because it's a way of circumventing sweat shops. I'm pre-Ebay so can remember when I'd find good stuff all the time and you could realistically expect to kit yourself out that way. But that was years ago. These days, I find the occasional beauty but mostly it's pre-bobbled Matalan.

So while I'm always pleased for people who find charity shop bargains, it doesn't mean the rest of us are missing a trick.

Yup I never find nice charity shop stuff for me. Lots of primark sold at more than it cost in the first place and the odd higher end item sold at prices which don't reflect the fact they're often very well worn. I'm sure they do get the odd great thing but I don't have the time to wander round them regularly in the hope of finding something in good condition in my size which actually fits me.

I also think that, because charity shops are so random, you have to be on a reasonable income and / or have a big wardrobe to take advantage. I'm fortunate in that at least if I do see something lovely, I can just buy it and worry later about whether it actually goes with anything. And if it turns out to be a mistake, I'll just re-donate it. But if I was on a really small budget I couldn't afford to shop like that.

I'm astounded by £100 pounds per month. I just thought it was normal to spend so much more. I'm really not bragging but I probably spend around 5-600 per month. That's including make up etc. During the sales o prob spend double that. I'm now feeling very guilty and a bit spoiled. Before you all gush at me, I buy quality pieces and some items which have cost a fortune, o have had for about 10 years or more.

Flosime Agree! I can't stand the randomness of charity shops either, it brings me out all nervous. Eg - Perfect coat! Oh it's two sizes too small or big. Perfect dress! Oh - it's bobbly under the arms. That sort of thing. I would not like to fall in love with something to find it was pointless to buy, because I couldn't get it in my size or it was obviously too well-worn.

Charity shops can become addictive. I reckon my friend spends easily as much as me shopping in normal shops.
She goes a few times a week whereas I go shopping every few months. I have been with her and as mentioned ^^ they are full of bobbly jumpers, boot cut jeans, old lady coats, last seasons must haves, per una and primark all in totally random sizes. Half of what she buys she doesn't need and most of it is not quite right and ends up back at the charity shop. I have bought a couple of things when with her but couldn't do it regularly, I'd rather buy a few things I love in the right size at the full price.

I'm lucky to live in an affluent area with decent charity shops - recent buys include a silk MaxMara dress that I lived in this summer, Ash trainers BNWT and a Reiss jumper. Appreciate this is not the norm!

Mumbo I do occasionally make a trip to the Oxfam shop in a nearby-ish affluent area ;) Last time I went in, I got a nice Laura Ashley bag for a tenner and gorgeous maternity party dress for less than that

Thought about this thread earlier. I walked past my local BHF shop and they had a Radley handbag in the window. Didn't stop to stare but it was definitely used and I think a few years old but one of a similar size, colour and shape is on sale on the radley website just now for 90 pounds. Charity shop was charging 80!

When me and DH were both working I could spend £100 a month. It was after a career change for me and I was slowly trying to invest in some professional pieces.
Now, no way could I spend that much. In hindsight I think of how much I could have saved those years now buying clothes. It's really shocking when I add it up.

That's a lot! My daughter spends money whennclothes have been reduced in H&M, Next, ASOS and River Island. She's very slim though, so I guess she can quite often get a size 8/10, rather than the national average of a size 16. She has learnt that cheap shoes are a waste of time; they hurt her feet after spending a day in them, and they really become inflammed. Also they don't last as long. Personally, I think shoes is the one thing, unless you get them in a sale, that you can't scrimp on!
I've recently paid about £130 on clothes. But I know that'll be it for quite a while! At least six months! Unless I see something like a decent long, thin cardigan in a suble orange... I tend to veer towards clothes that'll make up several outfits! 😊

I just can't imagine finding enough things I want to buy to be able to spend £100 a month most of the time.

But surely it's not that hard to imagine it. I don't think I buy that many clothes but when I added up this years expenditure it's about £100 per month. £1200 a year is easily spent if you spend more per item than some people seem to be suggesting here. For me boots are always over £100 (but then you get leather soles that are much cheaper to replace than buying new shoes, I have boots that were £150 when I bought them 15 years ago but have been reheeled multiple times and resoled a couple of times, they are pretty simple tan knee high riding boots so fairly timeless although they are resting this winter), most of my jumpers are cashmere so between £70 to £150 depending on the discount when I buy them. I bought a silk blouse that was see through so needed a camisole below it, £100 for the pair after a discount. I do buy some cheaper items but prefer to buy natural fabrics which adds to the cost a lot of the time. If you are spending £100 a month you're not buying dresses for £7 and shoes for £10 from Primark (at least, not all the time), you're probably buying the same number of items but at much higher prices due to fabric or branding.